Building unit and building



Och 1940.

w. s. RUGG ET AL BUILDING UNIT AND BUILDING Filed y 8. 1937 6sheets-sheet .1

INVENTOR WALTER s RUGG y AMEs TTON Oct. 8, 1940. w. s. RUGG El ALBUILDING UNIT AND BUILDING Filed May 8, 1951 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 I g" m, i

L 50 l -I .51 I: 6.7

I l I I I I 5/ i 155 I I I Oct. 8, 1940. w a RUGG ET AL 2,217,184

BUILDING UNIT AND BUILDING Filed May 8, 1937 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Oct. 8,1940. w. s. RUGG ET AL BUILDING UNIT AND BUILDING Filed May 8, 19.37 I 6Sheets-Sheet 4 Jig $-,-9 qi0wj 'ynft\%'\{{g I: L h

90 JJ iii? UWQOQ o 76 E- w. s. RUGG ET AL 2,217,184

BUILDING IJNIT AND BUILDING.

Filed May 8, 1937 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Oct. 8, 1940.

EN Y JAMES Oct. 8, 1940. G ETAL 2,217,18

BUILDING UNIT AND BUILDING Filed May 8, 1957 s Sheets-Sheet 6 l E TO WALPR S-J UGG.

Patented Oct. 8, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENTiO-FFICE I A 1 2,217,184 I lBUILDING UNIT AND BUIL ING Walter S. Rugg, Pittsburgh, and Henry D. Jtunes, ,1 Edgewood, Pa,

Application May 8, 1937, SerialNo. 141,438 14 Claims. (01. 189- 4) Theinvention relates to standardized building units and buildings erectedby an assembly of such building units.

Heretofore many proposals have been made for speeding the erection ofbuildings, but usually the result has been a factory made frame to whichthe well known building materials are attached in the usual manner. Thebuildings erected in this way were permanent until their purpose hadbeen served and the Wreckers arrived.

The object of the invention is to provide standardized building unitsthat may be utilized in .erecting a building of substantially anypredetermined rectangular shape and size.

A further object of the invention is to provide standardized buildingunits that may be utilized with great facility in erecting a buildingand which may be removed from the building with equal facility withoutdamage to the members,

making it possible to use them in the same structure on another siteorin another structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide for erecting a building inwhich a space is pro-- vided between the weather resisting wall carryingthe insulation and the finish wall through which air may be circulatedto enable the maintaining of the finish wall at substantially apredetermined temperature.

It is also an object of the invention to provide afioor unit suitablefor covering a rectangular area of substantially any size, thevariations in size depending on the dimensions of the floor unit and theshape on the rectangles that may be made from the floor units.

Other objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious and, in part,appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly is disclosed in the tures of construction,combination of elements,

and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the structurehereinafter set forth and the scope of which will be indicated in theclaims.

For a fuller understanding of the objects of the invention, referencemay be had to the following detailed description taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in perspective,showing a portion of a building embodying the features of thisinvention.

Fig. 2 is a view, partly in section and partly in .35 side elevation,showing how the frames for the accompanying drawings and comprises thefeaside walls are mounted on the cross beams of any'floorf Fig. 3 is aview in section of a portion of a wall unit showing details of itsconstruction. i

Fig. Lisa view in top elevation of a floor with parts cutaway to showdetails of the structure.

Fig. 5 'is a view, partlyin section and partly. in side elevatiomof-apartition showing how it is attached to the beams.

Fig. 6 is a vi W. Dartly in section and partly in elevation,showing howthe members of a partition may be spaced and attached to the beams forthe making of a cupboard or otherroom not requiring the mounting of afinishing wall on the inside; Fig. 7 is a view, partly in section andpartly in side elevation, with portions broken away to showhow'apartition may be run transversely of the beams forfthe making of aroom.

Fig. 8 is a View, partly in section and partly.

in side elevation, showing two wall building units such as illustratedin Fig. 3, separated With packing material between them.'

Fig. 9 is a viewin side elevation, showing the relation of the'wallbuilding units when they are i disposed on a building.

Fig. 1 0 is a view in side elevation, showing,

parts of four wall building" units separated to illustrate the positionin which the vertical and horizontal strips of pac ing will be inserted.30

Fig. his a view inside elevation showing how the packing strips appearwhen they are held between wall-building units disposed in position on abuilding." 1 1 Fig. 12is a view in vertical section through a portion ofaroom showing how the inside finish wall and ceiling are held inposition and how the corners. are finished. v

Fig. 13 is a view in transversesection of a portion of a room showinghow the. walls are held in position and howthe corners are finished.

Fig. 14 is a view, partly in section'and partly in side elevation, of aportionof a roof, showing how the roof is arranged.

Fig. 1515a view, partly in: section and partly in end-elevatiomshowing amodified roof structure and the method of mounting the water spout.

v a wall framethatabuts against arunning wall.

Fig, 16 is a diagram showing the dimensions '5 be approximated.

The floor structure II is carried by the girts. As illustrated, thefloor structure ll comprises a plurality of I-beams I2 whichextend fromgirt to girt and a plurality ofshort 'I-beams i3 I extending from a sidegirt to "a beam. In this particular floor structure the beams l2 and l3are I-beams with a portion of the upper flange cut away at the endsforming a T-part, the

function of which will appear hereinafter. The beams 12 and I3 will bedesigned especially for the conditions under which they are to beutilized as in the case of the, girts.

A plurality of floor sections '14 are disposed onthe beams l2 andl3 asshown in Fig. 1. The construction of the floor section may. vary greatlydepending upon the conditions to be met. The particular floor sectionsillustrated comprise bottom and top layers with insulation between thelayers. One type of floor unit,- that has been found to be quitesatisfactory embodies top and bottom layers of Masonite with a suitableinsulating,.material such as cork interposed between the Masonite layersand the wholelglued into a solid mass. However, many other differenttypes of floors may be used successfully.

[One of the fundamentals of the invention is embodied in the floorstructure. In the planning of most buildings including residences,

apartment houses, schools and the like, the rectangle is the, dominantfigure and by the arranging of rectangles in different relative,positions nearly any predetermined floor area and shape may be provided.

In the present invention, in designing a building, the floor unit ispredetermined. The floor unit; selected. may beclassed a module M, thatis. a unit of predetermined length'and width.

:In order to simplify the specification and fa .cilitate description,the term M will be utilized throughout the specification'to alsodesignate a unit of linear measurement. This can be accomplished withoutconfusion since the context will indicate whether it is intendedas alinear unit or a unit of area.

For, most purposes; it is preferable to select a square as the module.Further. the module may be of any predetermined dimensions. It has beenfound in some instances satisfactory to' select a square module one footsquare or M 'M The floor section may therefore be one foot square if itincludes only one module or two feet square if it includes four modules.

When the module and floor unit are of a size,

for example, one foot square, then the overall dimensions of the floorarea may be increased or'decreased. by one foot to give a predeterminedfloor area. out, practically any predetermined floorarea may In thestructure erected, and the one which is'illustrated the floor beams'werespaced 2 feet or 2M in the interest of economy and a floor section of 2'X2 or 2M x 2M was employed. However, the principle of the invention. isbased on- Thus with the module lay-' the module construction and theclaims are drawn on the module construction.

In the design of the building, standard outside wall frames l5 ofthickness F and standard partition frames 16 of the thickness p, shownin Figs. 1 and 5, respectively, are utilized. The size of the partitionframes l6 and the outside wall frames will depend on the size of themodule M. Further, the depth or thickness of the out side wall framewill have a relation to the partition p. It is not always essential thatthe h eight of the partition frame and the wall frame l5 be made apredetermined multiple of p the module.

However, in the proper proportioning of a building it has been foundsatisfactory to make the frames of a height having a predeterminedrelation to the size of the I module.

It has been found that because of the different kinds of corners, insideand outside corners, a

plurality of standard wall frames are required. When the term outsidecorner is employed, it is intended to describe the place where two out-vside walls meet and extend no further outside of the building, while aninside corner is where.

two outside walls meet and one or both. extend beyond the other outsideof the building. It

'willreadily be appreciated that different stand-.

ard wall frames are required forjsu'ch corners and that these cornerwall frames will be somewhat different from the running wall frame by.

which "is meant the wall frames disposed between the corner frames. I

In designing a house the floor area in -rec-.

tangles is marked off in modules. Then the floor Therefore the floorsections adjacent partitions will have an areawhich will be MX (M Thisreally gives a border the width, of which is In case the module is onefoot and the partition 4 inches, then the border adjacent the partitionswill be 10 inches wide.

Since the design of the house sets up the border adjacent the partitionof a width a border adjacent the outside walls will be provided bysetting the outside walls into the field of the floor a distance roleInthis manner a floor is provided in all the rooms of the building whichis symmetrical in appearance.

1 desired height of the rooms inside.

. portions of the I-beams I2 and I3.

allows for the positioning of the packing between In a room designed tobe X modulesXY modules there will be a plurality of standard floorsections. Y Assuming a floor unit a module square, then a plurality ofstandard floor units will be required. For simplicity in description, wewill assume a floor unit M M or 1 foot 1 foot.

The floor units required may be identified first as field floor unitswhich will fill the field of the floor up to the border. In the borderthere will be two standard units, the corner unit being while therunning border unit which extends along the walls and partitions betweenthe corner units will have an area cut out. Thus the number of floorunits for any house is small in number.

As pointed out hereinbefore a design may be effected by arbitrarilyselecting a module one foot square. Further, it has been found in the'design of buildings, such, for example, as houses, 'that most buildingshave an outside dimension closeto or a multiple of 2 feet. Accordingly,it has been found satisfactory in practice to make the outside Wallframes l5 about twice the module or 2 feet in width. The thickness ofthe frame may be arbitrarily selected without seriously affecting thebuilding. For example, it is standard practice in other buildingconstruction to make a wall about 9 inches thick and in this instancethe thickness of the frame may be predetermined as desired. Forconvenience, we will designate the thickness of the frame as F--aquantity to be arrived at when the conditions to be met are a known.

The height of the frame will depend on the For modern housingconditions, it has been found satisfactory to provide rooms 8 feet high.With this construction, in order to provide a room 8 feet high, theframes will be made 9 feet high, or nine times the module. Therefore, itwill be seen that all the dimensions of the frame have a very definiterelation to the module selected for the floor sections.

While we have set out that the frame in order to conform with the floorsections will be 2 feet in width, in actual construction we find itnecessary to make the outside wall frame less than 2 feet. When theframes are made 111 4 in width, they may be set between the T-shaped endThis also the weather resisting member carried by the frame as will bedescribed hereinafter.

The manner of mounting the frames l5 on the i I-beams I2 is best shownin Fig. 2. As shown, the

which conform in shape generally to the web of the I-beam, are disposedbelow the frames. These wedgesare preferably made ofv steel.

The outside wall frames may be fabricatedin any suitable manner wellknown in the steel industry. Frames found to be satisfactory for thispurpose have been fabricated from 2" angle bars, which have'been weldedtogether at the joints. A detailed description of the frame is notnecessary, since it is clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 and may be made ofthe proper dimensions in accordance with the well known practice of theart.

The making of the frames of the proper dimension presents no problem inthe present day manufacture. In this case the running wall frame will bemade l11' i wide, 811%" long and of a thickness F which will bepredetermined when the standard units are designed. The height is made8'11 to compensate for the half inch taken up by the lower flange of theI-beams l2- and I3 and the wedges l1.

As shown in Fig. 1, angle bars l8 are provided on the frames l5 and areso spaced from the bottom of the framev as to aline' with the upperflanges of the I-beams l2 and I3. Further, these angle bars l8 aredisposed to extend inwardly to cooperate in the supporting of the floorsections l4. At the upper ends of the frame l5, angle-bars 19 aremounted which also extend inwardly to aline with the lower flanges ofI-beams I2 and I3 and are utilized for supporting the ceiling.

As has been pointed out hereinbefore, in order to provide for therunning of partitions along any boundary line between floor modules, itis required that floor sections of a size can-e to beprovided. Thesestandard floor sections require corresponding standard outside wallframe sections. The outside running wall frames, that is, the framedisposed between the corner frames have been described hereinbefore andare approximately 9 modules high, 2 modules wide and of a thickness F.

The outside wall corner frames such as shown in the upper right handcorner of Fig. 4 will have an outside width of In other words, theoutside dimensions will be equal to the thickness, of the frame plus thewidth of the corner floor section. The inside width of the frame, thatis, from the corner and to the edge, will be equal tothe width of the. I

- floor section This will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 16.

In the case of an inside corner best illustrated in the diagram of Fig.17, the inside measurement of the, frame will be While the outsidemeasurement of the frame As pointed out -hereinbefore. in describing oneof the standard-floor sections which is MXM in area with a-corner.

P P i a r cut out? JAfou'rth wall section best shown in the diagram. ofFig. 18, comprisesa frame which abuts against a wall. This framewillhave a width of In-other words, it will be necessary insuch aconstruction to have asmall outside wall frame for insertion-which is ofthe same width as a border floor unit plus afield unit.

The foregoing description has disclosed four standard floor sections andfour standard outside wall frames. iHaving units such as these, anyshape of building conforming to rectangles may be erected.

"Referring again, to Fig. 1, it will be observed that the beams-arespaced on the girts at distances of 2 modules or 2 feet from center tocenter. This spacing is shown in this particular modification of theinvention from. which the drawing was made.- units of 2M 2M-modules withthe surface divided into M M units. Therefore the floor sectionsutilized in the structure were large enough to span'the beam spacing.However, it is to be understood that the beams may be spaced toaccommodate different sized floor sections.

Referring now to Figs. 5 and 6, the partitions are made from estandardframes and their dimensions have a relation to the module M. As shown inFig. 5, the partitions I6 are made in complementary halves, that is, thehalf 20 is the complement of the half 2|, and .when the two are tiedtogetheras' illustrated in Fig. 5, they make up a partition frame p inthickness. For most purposes, the-partitions will be made about 4 inchesthick. The complementary halves of the partition frame are made fromangle members in any well known manner such as by Welding the anglemembers together to give a frame structure of predetermined size.

As shown in Fig. 5, the portion20 of the partition frame Hi is providedwith inwardly extending angle plates 23 disposed at the top and bottom.The portion 2| of the frame is provided with top and bottom angle plates24, similar in shape to the angle plates 23 carried by the portion 20and both have projections 25 which serve as stops. These two frames maybe made duplicates.

In addition, each'of the frame sections 20 and 2| have welded to them atthe top and bottom angle plates 26. Theseplates are so spaced that whenthe frame is drawn together by means of bolts or other suitableclampingdevices, applied to the angle plates 23 and 24, the plates 26 will gripthe lower flange of the I-beams |2 utilized in all floor structures. Ifthe partition frame is carried by the top floor structure, it will gripthe I-beams in the roof structure.

The width of the partition frames will be made toconform to the modulesof the floor units. That is, there may be standard partition frames;wide enough to bridge two full modules of the floor field or one fullmodule of the floor field and a border unit of awidth or of any otherstandard width as predetermined.

The floor sections comprise In case it is desired to utilize thepartition frame for the building of clothes closets and'the like in thehouse, the complementary halves 20- and 2| of the frame l6 will beseparated as shown in Fig. 6. In order to clamp the half of the frame 20in position, an angle plate 21 will be provided which is substantiallysimilar in.

shape to the plate 24 provided on the frame half 2| with the exceptionthat it is provided with an upwardly extending projection 28 forengaging the flange of the beam |2. Then by utilizing some suitableclamping means, such, for example, as a bolt extending through thedepending portions of 23 and 21, the frame section 20 may be clamped tothe I-beam I2.

Clamping ,means have not been illustrated since they are well known inthe art and the drawing is simpler when they are omitted. The framesection 2| may be clamped to the next adjacent I-beams |2 by providingan angle plate 29 similar to the plate 23, provided on the frame section20 in Fig. 5. This plate also has a projection 30 extending upwardly tocooperate in clamping the frame section 2| to the lower section of theI-beam I2. In this manner clothes closets or other rooms not requiringthe mounting of finishing panels may be made. It will be observed thateven when the sections of the partition frame I6 are separated as shownin Fig. 6, they extend into the field of the floor in the adjacent roomsand the border floor sections which are of a width are employed adjacentto them.

When it is desired to extend the partitions transversely of the I-beamsI2, notched plates 32 are attached to the partition frame sections asshown in Fig. 7. These notched plates may be attachedto the framesections in any suitable manner as by bolts, rivets or the like. Asshown, the plates are so disposed on the partition frames that theyreceive the bottom flanges of the I- beam and by drawing the anglemembers of adjacent frames together, they may be clamped tightly in anypredetermined position on the I-beam I2.

Many different types of roof structure may be utilized. In themodification illustrated in Fig. 14, sections of steel I-beams 33 may bemounted on the I-beams |2 in any suitable manner as by bolting orwelding. Iron castings 34 are mounted on theI-beam'sections 33 andattached in any suitable manner as by welding shown at 35. The castings34 comprise an angular flange 36 backed up by a web 31. In makingthecasting the upper portion of the flange 36 will extend at such anangle to the horizontal portion that it will be at right angles to theplane of the roof. The angle may be readily determined in designing thehouse when the pitch of the roof has been decided upon.

The members 38 which correspond to the rafters in the ordinary roof maybe of any suitable to the channel members or rafters 38 by means ofbolts or any other similar means. The lower ends'of the rafters -38 willseat in, and are at-- tached to, the casting 34 and thus are securely.held in position.

Theroof will then be covered with some suitable weather resistingmaterial 49., It will be readily appreciated that many different typesof roofing material may be employed. The roofing material illustrated isthe same as the weather resisting building units applied to the outsideof the building and will be described hereinafter. A unit atcorresponding to the well known ridge board will be mounted on the ridgewhere the slopes of weather resisting material meet. The member 41 orthe ridge board may be made of any suitable material such, for example,as

galvanized iron or copper. In the preferred embodiment copper will beused because. of its weather resisting capacity and the ease with whichit may be worked.

In the construction illustrated in Fig. 14, a combination unit 42 isutilized. This combination unit 42 comprises a water gutter 43 and anornamental piece '44. The combination unit is made from some suitablematerial such, -for example, as material suitable for flashing. It hasbeen found that copper sheet is suitable for this purpose. Since copperis so easily worked, the irregular shape shown may be easily formed inaccordance with well known practice. This type of unit is easily mountedand, in view of the manner in which it is mounted, will stand up underthe loads of snow and ice that it may be subjected to in the northernsections of this country.

Any suitable type of down spout for carrying the water from the watertrough may be employed. In Fig. 14 a down spout A5 is illustratedextending through the space between the weather wall and the finish wallcarried by the frame. This has been found to be very satisfactorypractice since the down spout is protected by the walls of the buildingand does not detract from the general appearance of the structure. 1

In the modified roof structure illustrated in Fig. 15, the rafters 3Bare also made from channel members as in the modification illustrated inFig. 14, have their lower ends cut at the angle illustrated to seat onthe beams l2. The angle .at which to cut the rafters may be readilypredetermined in designing the structure. The rafters 38 are attached tothe I-beams l2 by means of gusset plates 46. The attaching means may beeither bolts, rivets or the like. In the preferred embodiment, theplates 46 are welded to the beams l2. The upper ends of the rafters 38will meet in the manner illustrated in Fig. 14 and after the weatherresisting covering has been applied, ridge board 4| will be mounted.

As shown in Fig. 15, a bracket 47 is provided which extendsapredetermined distance from the outer wall of the building. Thisbracket may be :made of any suitable material such as wood which may bepainted so that it will be weather resisting. The bracket 41 may be.extended through the weather resisting layer applied to the wall andattached to the frame in any suitable manner. These wooden brackets 47will support an extended portion of the roof covering as illustrated. I

Attached to the lower ends of the brackets 41 are iron brackets 48.These metal brackets may be attached in any suitable manner as by screwbolts. The shape of the brackets 48 will depend on the type of waterspouting that is to be utilized. For most practical purposes, a circularwater spout will be utilized, and the outer end of the brackets will bemade to receive sucha Water trough 49. The water troughs 49 made fromcopper have been found to be satisfactory for this purpose. The weatherresisting covering ap plied to the roof illustrated in Fig. will be thesame as employed for the outer walls and the roof illustrated in Fig.14.

will be made a predetermined number. of modulesin width.- I11 theillustration in Fig. 4, a door frame. eflis provided which extendsacrossfour floor modules. which, in this particular embodiment ofltheinvention, constitute a 4-foot door frame. The frame defining theentrance. opening may-be made of any predetermined width and as shown isabout equal to one-half a module or 6 inches. This gives an opening ofabout 3 modules or 3 feet, which isample for most purposes. The doorframe .50 will be made from angle members welded together in the samemanner as the wall frames described hereinbefore. The door frame will bemade of .the same height as the outer. wall frames and will take theplace of running wall frames. The height of the opening of the door maybemade anything up to 7 6". Usually it will not be more than 7 feet, andthe portion above the openingof the door may. be fabricated of much thesame shape as the crosssection of the frame defining the openingillustrated in Fig. 4.

The outerportion of the frame may be covered in;the same manner as theframes constituting the outer wall of the building. The inner faces ofthe frame will have attached thereto plates 5| which may be of woodorany other suitablematerial. When the plates provided" on the door framearewood, they may be weather stripped in accordance with well knownpractice in order to make the door air-tight.

The window frame 52 illustrated in Fig. 4 is not of sucha substantialnature as the door'frame.

It is fabricated in much the same manner as the running wall framesdescribed hereinbefore. It is made of the same height as the wall framesandin this particular modification is shown as extending acrosstwo'modules of the floor structure. At the proper height from the bottomof the frame a plate 53 willbe attached to the angle members asillustrated to provide a window sill. Side plates54 will-be attached tothe angle members above the plate 53 and will extend the height of thewindow and on the top another plate will be mounted corresponding to theplate 53a A stock window will then be mounted inside of the frame formedin this manner. The portions of the frame-above'and below the window andat the sides will be provided with sheeting similar to that used on theoutside of the building.

Many different types of Weather resisting coverings-maybe utilized. Asillustrated in Fig. 1, the weather resisting covering is applied in sec+tions 55 made of a size having a definite relation to the modules of thefloor and conforming to the standardizedwall frame units. I

As illustrated in Fig. 1, three weather resisting building units coverthe outside of the wall frame units. The weather resisting buildingunits 55 will all be made of the same length, but the width will varyconforming to the widths of the different standardized wall frame units.For example, the weather resisting units to be applied to the runningwall frames will be of a width corresponding to two modules less /8"providing for the insertion of] suitable packing. strips. The

frames were made less than two modules in order to provide for the webof the beams l2,

The frames as mounted are therefore spaced "1 3'" throughout theirlength and will retain the wallframe units spaced in the same manner.The spacing of the frames will be effected .by means of plates 56 whichare the same thickness as the web of the beams l2.

The standardized weather resisting wall or building units 15 may be ofmany different constructions depending on the section of country inwhich the building is to be erected or the purpose for which thebuilding is to be utilized. It is proposed to utilize as the preferredform a weather resisting wall unit such as illustrated in Fig. 3. Thisunit comprises a.-metallic pan 51 carrying a heat insulating layer 58.The layer of insulating material may be attached to the pan in anysuitable manner as, for example, by the use of weather resisting glue orgum. Many of these materials are available on the market and will not bedescribed in detail. The pan employed may be made of sheet steel, or anyother suitable metal available to the trade.

In the modification of the weather resisting building unit illustrated,a sheet of reflecting material 59 is applied to the layer 'of insulatingmaterial 58. Many different types of reflecting sheets may be selectedand in this embodiment of the invention aluminum foil has been utilized."The aluminum foil may beattached to the insulating material by means ofsome suitable weather resisting glue or cement which are well known inthe art. The purpose of the reflecting layer of aluminum foil is toprevent the transfer of heat either way through the wall by radiation.

As illustrated, a suitable weather resisting material is applied to theinsulating layer and the reflecting layer. Many different types ofweather resisting material may be employed. Tests made indicate thatglass, tile, metals, Transite board and many other materials may beutilized with success. The weather resisting layer 60 will be shaped tofit over a portion of the edgesof the insulating material as shown andwill be glued to the metal and insulating material with a suit: ablewaterproofing cement well known in the art.

The function of the insulating material is to prevent the transfer ofheat in either direction. Its efficiency may be somewhat impaired if itabsorbs moisture. In order to maintain the building unit at its highestefi'iciency, it will be treated to remove the moisture and then theedges will be waterproofed by the use of any suitable waterproofing gumemployed extensively in the different industries. The base of manywaterproofing gums is tung oil which is widely used in the electricalindustry.

In order to effect a proper penetration of the waterproofing gum intothe edges of the insulation, it is preferable to treat it in a vacuum.Such vacuum treating processes are well known in the lumber industry.The building units will be placed in a container which is evacuated,thus removing the greater portion of the-air contained in theinsulation. The waterproofing gum is then pumped into the evacuatedchamber under pressure and will penetrate deeply into the edges of theinsulating material. This is illustrated at 81 in Fig. 3. v

The weather resisting building units described hereinbefore may beattached to the frames l5 in any suitable manner. One of the mostconvenient methods is by providing aplurality of stirrups 52 on theinside steel pan 51. These stirrups may be attached by welding orriveting or any other suitable means and'will be so disposed on the unitthat they will fit just inside of the angle members of the frame. When aunit provided with stirrup 62 is set in position on a frame l5, keys 63may be driven through the stirrups to engage the angle bars forming theframe. These keys may be made from suitable spring steel and so shapedthat when they are driven into position they may not be removed easily.Many types of key may be used With success.

In order to provide a weather tight joint, suitable horizontal packingstrips 64 and 65, respectively, are employed. These packing strips maybe of different types. It has been found that a. porous rolled fabricrope impregnated with a suitable water resisting tar or asphalt is quitesatisfactory. In mounting .the packing strips 64 and 65, the will bestretched between the building units 55 as shown in Fig. 10, thehorizontal packing strip 64 being disposed outside of the verticalpacking strip. The building units will then be forced into position asshown in Fig. 11. The operation of pressing the building units 55 intoposition will flatten the portions of the packing strip between them,thus giving a good joint. At the point where the packing strips cross,they will not be flattened to the same extent as where they are caughtbetween the two units and so will not bulge at this point.

At the corner of the building the building units 55 will be beveled asshown at 56 and packing may be inserted here. However, it is to beunderstood that other constructions than the beveled one illustrated maybe utilized without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The material employed for the finishing of the inside of the buildingwill be selected to meet the purposes for which the building has beenerected. For houses avery satisfactory finish is the well known plywood.In preparing the plywood for mounting, it will be made in sections 61which will be predetermined to fit the frame structure. In the framestructure described as an embodiment of this invention, the room heightwill be about 8 feet. This necessitates the making of the inside-wallfinish-sections 61 somewhat shorter than the three modules of thebuilding units 55. Further, the'overall height of the three wallsections appliedto the inside of one wall frame will be reduced by thedepth of the baseboard 6B. The width of the inside finish section 61will be designed to give a symmetrical appearance. In order to providefor mounting the wall finish sections with facility, they are providedwith keys 90 and stirrups 9| which engage the angle members of the wallframes l5 as best shown in Fig. 13. These cleats may be of any suitablematerial and wedge shaped so that, if they do not fit exactly, they maybe forced a short distance to give a'tight fit. By the proper locatingof the cleats, provision may be made for mounting the finish sections61, even if they do not conform in width to the frames I5.

Referring now to Fig. 13, assuming that the wall section 69 is placed inposition, then when the finish section I is placed in position thetongue "H overlaps the tongue 12 of the unit 69. The cleat 68 carried bythe wall finish section 10 engages the angle member of the wall frame land locks the outer edge of the finish section '69 in position. The nextfinish section mounted will engage the outer edge of the finish section10 and the .cleat carried by it will engage the angle member of theframe [5, and thus the finish unit 10 will be retained in position. Inthis manher all the finish units may be held in position until a corneris reached.

At the corner a strip such as '13 is provided which is a width slightlyless than the space to be filled. It is pressed into position to engagethe tongue provided on the finish section 14. Then a corner finish strip15 carrying .a spring member i6 is pressed into position.

As shown, the spring member 16 is attached to the corner finish strip bycounterslnking and nailing. When the corner finish strip is mounted, itfits tightly against the finish strips of the meeting walls. Ittherefore gives a finished appearance.

It will be readily appreciated that if desired beading may bemountedover the joints of the finish sections. However, this will be a matterof choice and is not a part of this invention. When plywood is employed,the finish may be improved by staining or painting.

The problem of mounting the ceiling is 'much the same as the mounting ofthe side walls. The ceiling finish is prepared in sections and will bedesigned to conform to the frame structure. The ceiling sections areprovided with cleats I? shaped to engage the flanges of the I-beams.Assuming that the section l'B has been mounted by hooking its cleat. Hto a flange of' an I-beam, then a ceiling section 19 having a tonguewhich engages the tongue 8! provided on the section 18 is pressed intoposition as illustrated, the cleats l1 engaging the flange of the I-beaml2. Thus one edge of the finish section is held in position by means ofits cleat ll while the other edge is en gaged by the next adjacentceiling section and so all the units are locked to the ceiling framestructure.

At the corners blocks 82 and 83 which loosely fit between the wallsection 84 and the ceiling section 85 are provided. These blocks arestepped to engage the tongues provided on the wall and ceiling finishsections 84 and 85. A wedge 86 is driven between the blocks 82 and 83spreading them to tightly press the wall and ceiling sections 84 and 85into position.

After all the blocks have been mounted and wedged apart as illustrated,a finish strip 87 is nailed to the blocks. In this particularillustration of the invention a plain strip nailed to the blocks withfinish nails is provided. If desired, the ornamental finish strip may beemployed.

One of the important features of the present invention is that theinsulation carried by the weather resisting building unit is spaced, aconsiderable distance from the finish wall. The space between theweather wall and the finish wall is the width of the frame which isseveral inches. When the walls are spaced in this manner, in the heatingof the building air may be circulated between the walls thus maintainingthe temperature of the finish wall at substantially the temperature ofthe room. Therefore in the room there will be no air currents caused bya cold wall cooling the volume of air adjacent'it and setting up aircurrents. This is a very important feature in a house in that it addsgreatly to the comfort of the occupants since they may sit in anyportion of the room without being subjected to drafts or chilled byradiating heat to cold walls,

ceiling and floor.

-Since theweather resisting building units are provided'with athick'layer of insi1lation,there will be very little flow :of heat in eitherdirection through the weather resisting wall. This will greatly increasethe efficiency of any heating' or cooling system utilized incontrolling-"the temperature of the building.

When utilizing this type of building structure there are no restrictionsas to the number of stories that may be erected. Of course, it is'to beunderstood that if a building of several stories such as an apartmenthouse is to be erected, thelower frames will have to be designed ofsufiicient strength to carry the weight but this is a simple matter andthe design may be arrived at for buildings ofa predetermined number ofbe utilized for receiving the cleats 11 provided on the ceiling finishsections. These angles may also be employed for retaining the fioorsections 14 in position. As shown in .the lower-right.- hand corner ofthe figure, the angle member 26 may be engaged by'the cleat providedonthe floor section. On the opposite side of the figure, the

angle member .25 is shown engaged by the key 99 driven through a keeper.Thus the angle members may be utilized for a plurality of purposes.

Since certain changes may be made in the above construction, anddifferent embodiments of the invention may be made without departingfrom the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in theabove description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Y We claim asour invention:

'1. In a building structure, in combination, a floor comprising aplurality of .units ofa predetermined number of modules in area,partitions disposed to extend along a boundary line between roWs of thefloor units, the partitions being made of frames having a horizontaldimension equal to or a multiple of the dimensions of the floor moduleand a vertical-dimension having a predetermined relation to the floormodule, the partitions being of a width p,..the outer wall being made offramesoi the same horizontal length as the frame employed in thepartitions and of a i width-F, I being greater than n, the floor unitson the outside of the floor being xiii) tion, the floor units extendingsubstantially to the wall and partition frames. 2. In a buildingstructure, in combination, a foundation, a fioor carried bythefoundati'on, the floor having an area X modules-p) '(Y modules'p);

and comprising aplurality of fioor units MxlVI e-We and a wall aroundthe floor carried by the foundation, the wall comprising a plurality offrames in assembled relation and of a width F, F being greater than p,the corner frames having an inside horizontal measurement of one module%and-the frames between the corner frames having a horizontal measurementequal to one module thereby to facilitate the erection of the walls saidfloor units extending substantially to the frames.

3. In a building structure, in combination, a foundation, a floorcarried by the foundation, the floor having an area or modules-p)(Ymodules-p) the floor being made up of floor units, a field unit onemodule square, a border unit (one module-g) Xone module and a cornerborder unit 7 7 (one module X one module these units facilitating thelaying of a floor of any predetermined dimensions in modulesp,

a wall frame structure of width F enclosing the floor, and partitions ofa width p which is less than F extending between fioor units givingrooms of predetermined size, the floors of which have symmetricalborders one module and a corner unit having an area thus enabling thelaying of a floor of any predetermined rectangular shape and of anypredetermined extent, and a partition having a width 10, 0 being lessthan F, the floor units and partition being thereby related to give aroom having a border of the same width around it, thus presenting anappearance of symmetry, said floor units next the partition extendinginto substantial engagement with it.

5. In a building structure, in combination, a foundation, a floorsupporting beam structure carried by the foundation, the floor being ofany predetermined extent measured in modules M, the corners of the floorbeing right angles and comprising standard floor units, a field floorunit having dimensions MXM, a border unit having dimensions and a cornerborder unit having a dimension and an outside dimension the insidecorner frame unit having an inside horizontal dimension and an outsidedimension F being greater than 10, and side frame units having a runninghorizontal dimension of M, the floor units extending into substantialengagement with the wall frames and partitions and Weather resistingwall units disposed. on the frames.

6. In a building structure, a foundation, a beam structure carried bythe foundation, a floor having dimensions of a predetermined number ofmodules M p and partitions carried by the beam structure, the partitionsbeing of a thickness p and having a horizontal dimension M, the floorcomprising a plurality of standard floor units making up the floor fieldand border, the floor field unit being square and of a dimension M or amultiple of M, a floor border unit having an area and a corner borderunit 2 PV M M thereby enabling the laying of a floor and the locating ofpartitions along the dividing line between floor units making up thefioor field which will give a floor area containing a predeterminednumber of field floor units and a border of the same width around thefloor thus presenting a floor having a symmetrical appearance, anoutside Wall of a width F, F being greater than p enclosing the floor,the outside wall comprising standard frame units, the outer corner frameunits being of a thickness F and having a horizonta dimension the insidecorner frame units having an outside dimension the running wall frameunits having a horizontal dimension l M thereby being dimensioned to fitany fioor area made from the standard floor units the frame units beingof any predetermined number of modules in height dependingupon theconditions to be met, said fioor units extending into substantialengagement with the Wall and partition frame and weather resisting wallunits carried by the frame units.

'7. In a building structure, in combination, a foundation, a beamstructure carried by the foundation, a floor carried by the beamstructure, partitions associated with the floor, the partitions being ofa thickness p and having a horizontal dimension of one module M, thefloor comprising a plurality of standard floor units presenting a fieldand border, the field floor unit being of dimensions M XM, the borderfioor units and the corner border units the floor thus presenting afield that may be divided into rooms by partitions extending between thefioor units, .the rooms thus having a symmetrical appearance, an outsidewall enclosing the fioor, the outside wall comprising standard frameunits of a thickness F, the outside corner frame units having an outsidedimension . g M +F j 2 V and an inside dimension the inside cornerunitshaving an inside dimension and an outside dimension F being greaterthan p, the running wall frame units disposed between the corner unitshaving a horizontal running dimension M minus the thickness of the webof the beam frame structure, whereby the frame units may be mountedbetween the webs of the beam frame structure, the frame units being ofany predetermined number of modules in height, the floor units extendinginto substantial engagement with the wall and partition frames, andweather resisting Wall units carried by the frame units.

8. In a building structure, a foundation, a beam structure carried bythe foundation, a floor and partitions carried by the beams, thepartitions having a width p and a horizontal running dimension equal toa module M, the floor structure comprising a plurality of standard unitsmaking up the floor field and border, the floor field units being squareand having a horizontal dimension M, the running border units having adimension and a corner border unit having a dimension a es) an outsidewall of athickness F comprising a plurality of standard frame units,carried by the foundation, the outside corner frame units having ahorizontal outside dimension of 2 M +F 2 andan inside horizontaldimension the inside corner frame'units having outside dimension 2 I M 2F and an inside horizontal dimension of v F being greater than p, and a"running frame unit having a horizontal dimension M',the thickness of thebeam' W6b,-- the outside wall frameunits and partition frame units beinga-predetermined number of modules in height depending, upon theconditions to be met, the outside wall frame units being dimensioned toa floor made up 9. In a building structure, a foundation, a

beam structure carried by the foundation, a floor and partitions carriedby the beams, the partitions having a'width and a horizontal runningdimension equal to a module M, the floor structure comprising a'plurality of standard units making up the floor field and border, thefloor field units being square and having a horizontal dimension M, therunning border unitshaving a dimension and a corner border unit having adimension the outside wall comprising a plurality of standard frameunits carried by the foundation, I g

the outside corner frame units having a horizontal outside dimension ofand an inside horizontal dimension the inside corner frame units havingan outside dimension 2 M F and an inside horizontal dimension of F being"greater than 17, the running frame units having a horizontal dimensionMthe thickness of the fioor beam web, the outside wall frame units andpartition frame units being any predetermined number of modules inheight depend- 7 ing upon the conditions to be met, the outside unitsandthe partition frame units, and a baseboard disposed around the bottom ofpartitions and outside Wall, the baseboard and wall finish,

being the same thickness throughout, thereby giving a floor border ofthe same width around each room, and a weather resisting wall unitcarried by the outside wall frames, thespacing of the framesfacilitating the mounting'of the Wall units.

10. In a building structure provided with a foundation, a frame carriedby the foundation and fioor beams associated with the frame, thecombination of a plurality of complementary half sections of a frame,means for tieing the half sections together and in engagement with thefloor beams to provide a partition frame, means provided on thehalf-sections for receiving floor or ceiling finish sections, said halfsections of the frame being capable of standing independently, and meansfor attaching them to the beams independently to present spaced Walls toprovide closets or cupboards in the building structure which are adaptedto carry the finish wall sections as when utilized as a partition, thehalf frame sections being spaced apart in accordance with the spacing ofthe beams.

11. In a building structure provided with a foundation, frames and fioorbeams, the combination of a plurality of complementary half framesections of a predetermined height depending on the spacing of the firstand second floor beams and of a horizontal length of M or a multiple ofM, means carried by the complementary half sections for tieing themtogether to form a partition frame, means carried by the frames forreceiving the fioor sections and the ceiling finish sections, and meansfor receiving the fioor and ceiling finish sections cooperative with themeans for tieing the frame half sections together for attaching theframe sections to the beams, said frame half sections being adapted formounting separately in spaced relation to provide closets or otherspaces in the building structure the frames being adapted to carry wallfinish sections whereby the outside walls of the closet or other spacein the building structure presents a finished appearance.

12. In a building structure, in combination, a plurality of buildingunits each comprising a base, insulating material carried by the base,weather resisting material disposed outside of the insulating materialand impregnating material penetrated into the edges of the building unitrendering it impervious to moisture, packing material disposed betweenthe building units extending in lengths substantially horizontally andvertically and crossing at points where a plurality of building unitscome together, the portions of the packing material which cross beingcompressed and flattened less than the portions between the buildingunits, thereby serving to fill the corners between adjacent buildingunits to present a weather-tight wall.

"l3. In a building structure, in combination, a

foundation, a. beam structure carried by the foundation, a. fioor,outside wall frames and partitions carried by the beam structure, thefloor comprising a plurality of field floor units M M, rurming borderfloor units and corner border units the partition having a width p andhorizontal length related to the dimensions of the floor units, theoutside wall frame being of a width F which is greater thanp and ahorizontal length also related to the dimensions of the floor units,

the floor units extending into substantial engagement with the partitionframes and outside wall frames, thereby to facilitate the erection ortearing down of buildings.

14. In a building structure, in combination, a foundation, a beamstructure carried by the foundation, a floor carried by the beamstructure, the fioor comprising field units of dimensions M M, borderfloor units B MX 2) and corner border units (M- x (M 2 a plurality ofoutsidewall frames erected around the floor units, the outside wallframes comprising standard frame units of a thickness F and a horizontallength of M, and outside corner frame units having an outside dimensionthe running frame units being disposed between the corner units, andpartitions of a thickness 12, 10 being less than F, the horizontallength of the partition frames conforming to the dimensions of the floorunits which they abut, the floor units extending substantially to thewall and partition frames, a wall finish carried on the inside of an.outsidewall frame and partition, the finish overlapping the borderfioor units to the same extent thereby giving a symmetrical floordesign.

WALTER S. RUGG. HENRY D. JAMES.

